Back From Vacation

Tomorrow I start a whirlwind travel schedule that includes Memphis and Colorado Springs. But who cares about work when I can talk about all the fun we had in Boston and Maine, hanging out with people like this and seeing a this band. In Maine we stayed on the beach, ate lobster and relaxed. I will upload pictures to Flickr as I can but I really wanted to share with you the valuable knowledge I learned on this trip:
1. Delta sometimes sucks ass. Our flight was cancelled and they booked us to travel from Asheville to Atlanta to DC to Boston. Why? Because they were overbooked on all the flights between Atlanta and Boston. We got into our hotel at 9:00 instead of 5:00 and walked around Newbury street looking for dinner. Dinner was good, al fresco and relaxed.
2. When our daughter tells us she has a stomach ache, listen carefully. We got Noodle into bed at around 10:30 only to be woken up at 1 am. She had stomach ache so we said to have a glass of water and try to poot and go back to bed. After and hour of her writhing in pain and us wanting to sleep she started hurling everywhere. Everywhere in the hotel room. Her bed, the floor, the toilet, the waste paper basket and proceeded to hurl most of the night.
3. The next day, when she acts fine, she isn't. I had an interview (for the Memphis gig) and Hubby brought her out and about and brought her back after she had an enormous meltdown in front of the Boston Public Library. She then slept for 3 hours.
4. The next day, when she acts fine, she may still be recovering. She tried to get into a fist fight with Baby Buffalo at the cookout. I didn't get to hear ANYTHING about Guitar Hero 2.
5. When she does act like a monster and we are in the Boston area immediately bring her to our cousins' house, where my elder cousin Emily makes every little girl feel like a princess.
And then we drank a bottle of Champagne with her and her husband, Alfred (also one of my favorite people). Noodle had an immediate turn around in mood and behavior after spending a little time with Emily.
6. When your friend the professional photographer gives advice on photography, listen. My pictures got so much better after she told me about aperture.
7. When meeting a Bimbo for the first time, get ready to laugh until your stomach hurts. And make sure you have a husband who is willing to chill with the girls while you close the bars of the North End down.
8. When going to see a great band and you plan to drink copious amounts of alcohol, make sure your husband is as awesome as mine. He brought us coffee in bed the next morning (I am not sure why Amy and I passed out on the bed and he slept on the couch but that was the sleeping arrangement).
9. He also drove to Maine since I was still drunk when I woke up.
10. In Maine, make sure you see the rental first. Our first place was remarkably nasty. We fixed this but the first 14 hours were wretched.
11. I can do nothing right. See number 10 and 12.
12. Make sure you have great people watching your pets. Then give the people who are taking care of your pets each other's phone numbers so they can arrange to drop the dog off and all that. That way they don't involve your husband who then gets to say things about you doing nothing right.
13. Eat Lobster. Feed husband lobster (this helps reduce number 11).
14. Eat Lobster. Buy from the old republican guy down the street instead of the store down the street, half the price and just as good.
15. Relax. On Saturday we had just gotten to the point that we could relax and then we came home.
16. Sometimes Delta doesn't suck ass. We got home without complaint on Saturday night. We even got our luggage.

Sunrise in Saco Bay, Saco, ME, on July 31st, 2007 at about 5:47 am. This was the day I was supposed to make sure the pet sitters had all the information they needed. I knew I needed to do something on the 31st, but I couldn't remember what.